Motherboard, in computer science, the main circuit board in a computer. The most important computer chips and other electronic components that give function to a computer are located on the motherboard. The motherboard is a printed circuit board that connects the various elements on it through the use of traces, or electrical pathways. The motherboard is indispensable to the computer and provides the main computing capability.
Personal computers normally have one central processing unit (CPU), or microprocessor, which is located with other chips on the motherboard. The manufacturer and model of the CPU chip carried by the motherboard is a key criterion for designating the speed and other capabilities of the computer. The CPU in many personal computers is not permanently attached to the motherboard, but is instead plugged into a socket so that it may be removed and